Game apparatus



' Dec. 13, 1938. R. A. WOOD 2,140,411

GAME APPARATUS Filed Dec. '7, 1937 fi-lvercTor.

Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a game apparatus of the tether ball type, in which a ball is attached by a cord to a pole and is struck by opposing players with a bat of the tennis racket type, so

that the ball may swing in either direction about the pole.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved game apparatus of this type, so as to make the game more interesting by calling for increased skill, and by providing greater opportunity for healthful exercise.

I accomplish this object by providing a spirally grooved bar which is supported horizontally at a suitable elevation, in combination with a resilient ball, of the type of an ordinary tennis ball, which is attached by a cord to a loop or ring which loosely encircles the bar, so that when the ball is struck with a racket, it will swing about the bar and, at the same time, will be caused by the groove to travel towards one end or other of the bar, according to the direction in which it is made to swing, the object of one player being to make the ball travel to one end of the bar while the other player attempts to make it travel to the opposite end thereof.

For a more complete disclosure of my invention reference is now made to the following specification, in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof and Fig. 3 is a detail view.

As shown in the drawing, the apparatus comprises a pair of upright supports a, which are suitably spaced apart, and on which a bar b is supported in a horizontal position. In practice, when the apparatus is used out of doors the bar b will be supported at about 9 feet from the ground. The bar I) is provided with a spiral groove 0 which extends nearly from end to end thereof, a short smooth space being preferably, but not necessarily provided between each end of the groove and the adjacent support.

A resilient ball d, similar to an ordinary tennis ball is provided, which is enclosed in an open mesh bag e and a stout cord f is attached thereto at one end and is attached to a ring or loop 9 at its opposite end, through which the bar I) is inserted, the loop being adapted to engage the bar loosely, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In playing the game, the ball is suspended from the middle of the bar, as shown in Fig. 1, the players stand facing each other at opposite sides 55 of the bar, and each is provided with an ordinary tennis racket. One player then strikes the ball with his racket, so that it swings about the bar, as illustrated in Fig. 3. As the loop g is engaged in the spiral groove, it will be carried by the groove longitudinally of the bar towards one end. The 5 other player then attempts to strike the ball as it swings beneath the bar, so that it will swing in the opposite direction and therefore travel towards the opposite end of the bar. The game is Won by the player who succeeds in causing the ball to travel to the smooth portion of the bar opposite to that which he is defending, or to one or the other of the dotted line positions of Fig. 1.

While the apparatus is primarily designed for use out of doors, it may be reduced in size so that it is suitable for use indoors.

I claim:

1. A game, in which an apparatus is employed consisting of a horizontally disposed bar having a spiral groove extending from end to end thereof, and a cord loosely engaged at one end with said bar in said groove and having a ball attached thereto at its opposite end, said bar being disposed at a sufficient elevation to permit the ball to swing entirely about it while suspended by the cord, so that when it swings in one direction the groove will cause it to travel towards one end of the bar and when it swings in the opposite direction it will travel towards the other end thereof, opposing players being stationed at opposite sides of the bar and the game objective consisting in the attempt on the part of each player, by striking the ball, to cause it to swing about the bar and to travel towards the end of the bar which the other player is defending. 35

2. A game apparatus consisting of a spirally grooved bar disposed horizontally at a substantial elevation, and a relatively short cord engaged at one end with said bar in said groove and having a ball attached thereto at its opposite end, 40 whereby when the ball is swung about the bar it will gradually travel towards one end of the bar, or the opposite end thereof according to the direction in which it is swung, the game objective of opposing players at opposite sides of the bar consisting of an attempt on the part of each player to swing the ball about the bar in a direction to cause it to travel towards the end of the bar which the other player is defending.

3. A game apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed bar having a spiral groove therein extending from end to end thereof, a cord loosely engaged at one end in said groove and having a ball attached thereto at its opposite end, said bar being positioned at suificient elevation to permit sides of the bar, consisting in the attempt on the part of each player, by striking the ball so as to cause it to swing about the bar and thereby to cause it to travel towards the end of the bar which the other player is defending.

RUSSELL A. WOOD. 

